


PJ Masks: Origin Story

by LittleMissMusic1993 (EmilytheLemur)



Category: PJ Masks
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:05:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilytheLemur/pseuds/LittleMissMusic1993
Summary: Connor looked around. "This is my room… And that's my car… It's the Cat-car." He flicked his tail and moved his ears. "And I'm not Connor," he added as he posed like a superhero. "I'm Catboy!" His stripes started glowing, and he pushed back on his heels. With super speed like a cat, he ran in circles around his friends.
Relationships: Gekko/Luna Girl
Kudos: 4





	1. A New Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.
> 
> Enjoy!

The honk of a vehicle woke Greg, who groaned and rolled over in bed. There was a knock at his door, and, still not wanting to get up, the young boy stuffed his head under his pillow.

“Greg!” a muffled voice said, and suddenly his shelter was lifted and he was exposed to the bright sunlight coming in through the window.

Gasping in surprise, he turned to see his mother standing by his bed. He laughed nervously.

“You're going to miss the bus,” she told him, and the honking sounded again, this time impatiently.

“Oh, no!” Hurriedly, Greg jumped out of bed and rushed into his closet, appearing again in his brown pants and green lizard jacket.

“Don't forget your book bag!” his mother called after him as he ran out of his room, and he just barely managed to grab his bag beside his door.

His mother shook her head as if disappointed, but her eyes glowed with happiness. They had just moved to town over the weekend and today was her son's first school day. “I hope he makes at least one new friend,” she sighed contentedly.

Meanwhile, two houses down, Connor woke up when he heard someone banging on his bedroom door. He jumped out of bed, wide awake now. He looked around, confused for a moment, but then he heard knocking on his door again and he hurried over there.

A girl stood face to face with him. “Amaya?” He looked at her questioningly.

“Come on, Connor,” she urged. “We're going to miss the bus.”

Another look, Connor noticed that she was ready for school, in her red and pink outfit with her pink shoes and a wing-shaped hairpin, while he was still in his pajamas. “One sec.” He closed the door and went through his clothes, finding a t-shirt and jeans; he also put on a blue jacket and red shoes.

When he returned, Amaya was gone. He found her downstairs with his parents. The two kids said goodbye and hurried outside, glad to see the school bus still waiting for them.

“Come on!” Amaya made a dash for the large yellow vehicle parked in front of their neighborhood.

Connor was about to follow her but skidded to a halt when he heard footsteps. He turned around to see a boy younger than himself running toward the bus.

“A new student?” the blue-eyed kid guessed.

“Connor!”

Amaya was calling to him and waving her arms wildly. She gestured to the bus. Narrowing his eyes, Connor saw the driver impatiently waiting for them. She honked the horn again as if telling them to hurry.

Once on the bus, Connor and Amaya sat together, and Connor watched the new kid climb on after them.

“What do you think?” Connor whispered to his friend. “Should we ask him to sit with us?”

“Sure, he seems kinda lonely,” Amaya answered, and Connor nodded in agreement as he watched the kid unsuccessfully look for an open seat.

“Hey!” Connor called out, waving his arms.

Noticing him, Greg nervously walked over. “Hello,” he said awkwardly.

“Do you want to sit with us?” the blue-eyed boy asked him nicely with a friendly smile. He moved over to make room.

“Thank you,” Greg stuttered, sitting down and glancing at the auburn-eyed girl with red glasses and brown hair who also sat in the seat. The three kids had no problem fitting in the seat together because they were so small, especially Greg.

“I'm Greg,” he shyly introduced himself.

“I’m Connor,” the blue-eyed boy responded, then pointed at the girl. “And this is Amaya.”

Amaya smiled. “Hello.”

Greg nodded in acknowledgment. There was a short pause. “So,” the green-eyed kid finally broke the silence,” name one thing you like.”

“Flossy Flash!” Amaya declared, while Connor excitedly said,” Master Fang!”

Greg blinked. “Oh, that's... cool. I like lizards.”

The three of them stared at each other. Tension rose, an argument impending because for a second they wanted to prove which was better: Flossy Flash, Master Fang, or lizards?

Then the tension faded and they all burst into laughter. Connor playfully punched Greg's arm. “You're alright, kid.”

Greg smiled politely. “Thanks.”


	2. Sticky Splat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

“Everyone, this here is Greg. Please welcome him to our school.” The teacher stood in front of the class, introducing Greg. The green-eyed boy smiled shyly at all the kids.

Connor and Amaya were the first ones to welcome him. The other students followed their example.

“You can sit next to Connor and Amaya,” the teacher said to Greg.

“Okay.” Greg walked over there and sat down at the same table as his new friends. They smiled at him, and then all three focused on the teacher as he began to talk to the whole class.

Soon the bell for recess rang and all the students ran outside to the playground. But everyone skidded to a halt when they saw the destruction. The swing set was now on the opposite side of the yard, the slide was flipped over, and the merry-go-around was turned over, with dirt all around it.

“What happened here?” Greg gasped.

“I-I don't know,” Amaya stammered.

“Whoever did this will get what they deserve,” Connor declared, turning to his two friends.

“What can we do?” Greg asked. “We’re not superheroes.”

“Oh, I'd love to be a superhero!” Amaya exclaimed, rummaging through her backpack. She held up a comic book. “Just like Flossy Flash!” She turned and attempted to do a kick, but she stumbled and fell backwards.

“Are you okay, Amaya?” Greg held out his hand and helped her back up.

“We're not superheroes, so we can’t do moves like one,” Connor pointed out gently.

“Hey, look at this!”

At the sound of another student's voice, the trio turned to see Cameron holding something orange and very sticky.

Greg poked it and pulled back. “Is this some kind of… sticky splat stuff?”

“Hmm,” Connor said as he scratched his head. “Looks like we can't play on the playground today.” He frowned, and Greg and Amaya sighed.

The teacher called from inside. “Come on, kids! We can't have recess today. We can do something indoors instead.”

As Greg and Connor turned to go inside, Amaya caught up to them and said,” We should go to the comic book store after school.”

“Cool!” Greg responded while Connor nodded in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside the comic book store, the trio was just arriving.

“There's a new Flossy Flash comic out,” Amaya announced happily.

“You gonna get it?” Greg asked.

Amaya nodded. “My mom gave me money.”

“Cool! We should—” Connor stopped mid sentence when he opened the door and saw the store destroyed. Comic books were everywhere, and the shelves were knocked over.

“Wha—? How did this happen?” Connor demanded.

“Can’t we have any fun anymore?” Amaya looked like she was about to cry.

“Hey! What's this?”

Connor and Amaya turned to Greg, surprised to see him holding the same sticky splat stuff that was at the playground.

“What is this stuff?” Connor asked, exchanging a look with his friends.

Greg shrugged. “I don't know, but the same person—”

“Or thing,” Amaya added.

“—that wrecked the playground,” Greg went on,” ruined the comic book store too.” He dropped the sticky splat.

“What do you want to do now?” Amaya asked.

Connor thought for a moment. Then he smiled. “Wanna have a sleepover at my house?”

“Yeah!” Greg responded, while Amaya said,” Unless whoever or whatever did this shows up at your house, that should be fun.”

Connor laughed nervously, imagining his house getting sticky splattered, but he decided to still have the sleepover anyways.


	3. The Bracelets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

“Come on, mom! They'll be here anytime! They live right next door, you know!” Connor watched his mother set out the snacks. He had already laid out his sleeping bag in the living room and changed into his favorite pajamas. His grandmother made them for him, knowing his love of cats and the color blue.

“There,” his mother said, taking a step back and admiring her work. “All done.”

Suddenly the doorbell rang throughout the house. “Just in time!” Connor gasped. He ran to the door and opened it. Greg and Amaya stood on his doorstep.

“Hey, Connor,” greeted Amaya.

“Hey, guys.” Connor stepped back. “Come in.”

They walked inside and said hello to Connor's mother.

“I like your pjs,” his mother said to her son’s friends, smiling. Greg was wearing green pajamas that showed his love of geckos, while Amaya wore her favorite red owl pajamas.

“Why don’t you kids go play upstairs for a little bit while I figure out how to set up the movie?” Connor’s mother suggested.

“Okay! Come on, guys!” Connor made a dash to the stairs with Greg and Amaya running after him. They stopped to a halt once in Connor's room. “Okay, what do you guys want to do while my mom gets the movie started?”

Amaya thought for a moment. “How about hide and seek?”

“Inside?” Greg considered it, then nodded. “Okay, could be fun.”

“I'll count first,” Connor offered, and the other two agreed. While Connor turned his back on them and covered his eyes, Amaya and Greg hurried out of his room.

“Let's split up,” Amaya suggested. “That way it'd be harder for him to find us.”

“Good idea!” Greg whispered. “I'll stay upstairs. You hide downstairs.”

Amaya agreed and retraced her steps down the stairs. She nearly ran into Connor's mother as she rounded the corner. “I'm sorry,” she stammered, embarrassed.

Connor's mom waved her hand dismissively. “No worries. What's the hurry?”

“We're playing hide and seek,” Amaya explained. “Do you know a good place to hide?”

“If I told you that, it'd spoil the fun,” Connor's mother pointed out.

“Aw, okay.” Amaya left the living room and entered the kitchen, where she saw a door. When she opened it, she found herself in the garage. She smiled. “He'll never find me in here!” she said, hoping to find the best hiding place.

Meanwhile upstairs, Greg looked in every room except for Connor's, but he found no good hiding places. Then he spotted stairs leading up. “The attic!” Stumbling up the steps, Greg found himself in the attic. “What a great hiding place!” he cheered.

“Ready or not, here I come!” he heard Connor called from below.

Hurriedly, Greg ran behind a pile of boxes. He bumped into them and they came crashing down on top of him. “Ow!” he yelped.

Everyone in the house heard the boxes coming down, and they all ran to the attic to check on Greg. Connor and his mother picked the boxes off him, and when he was free, Amaya helped him up.

“Greg!” Amaya gasped. “Are you okay?”

Greg nodded. “Yeah. I'm fine.”

“Good,” Connor's mother said. “But I don't think you should play up here anymore. It's clearly too dangerous.”

“I'm sorry.” Greg glanced at his new friends.

“It's okay,” Amaya told him. “We can just play downstairs.”

“Okay.” Greg turned to leave, followed by Amaya and Connor's mother, but Connor called them back.

“Hey, what's this?”

They turned to see Connor reaching for a small wooden box that fell with the rest of the boxes. He opened it, and Greg and Amaya squeezed in on either side of him. There were three bracelets laid out inside: One of a cat; one of an owl; and one of a lizard.

“Awesome!” Greg exclaimed as he picked up the lizard one.

Amaya reached for the owl bracelet. “What are these?”

“I don't know,” Connor said as he picked up the cat bracelet. “But I… feel like we were meant to… have them.”

“Yeah,” Greg agreed. “It feels like they were made for us.”

Connor's mother appeared beside them. “Those?” She blinked. “I haven't seen those in years.” She took the owl bracelet from Amaya. “Me and a couple of kids used to play with them when we were your age. With those bracelets and our pajamas, we were superheroes. We called ourselves the PJ Masks, and we went into the night to stop villains from ruining people's day.” Her eyes glowed with memory, and she seemed lost in the past.

“Um… mom?” Conner asked uncertainty.

She snapped out of it. “Oh. I'm sorry.” She cleared her throat. “We had some good times with those bracelets.” Suddenly her eyes lit up with an idea. “Hey, why don't you three take these bracelets and make your own memories that'll last forever?”

“Really?” Greg gasped.

“Oh, that'd be so cool!” Amaya exclaimed.

“Thanks, mom!” Connor said excitedly.

“Just be careful with them,” Connor's mom warned. “With those bracelets, comes great responsibility.”

“Okay, Connor's mom!” Greg said, but he hardly heard her. He was putting his lizard bracelet on, while the other two put on theirs.

“PJ Masks!” Connor declared. “Away!”

With Connor in the lead, the trio hurried downstairs to see what great stuff their new bracelets can do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment please! Thank you!


	4. New Powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

“Wow, your mom is so cool!” Greg told Connor, completely in awed.

“Yeah!” Amaya agreed, staring in amazement at her bracelet.

Connor was frowning. “Do you really believe all that?”

Amaya and Greg turned to him, shocked. “Y-You mean, you _don't_ believe her?” Greg stammered.

“Why would your mom lie to us?” Amaya was looking upset.

Connor quickly shook his head. “I didn't say she lied. She… just left out the part that it was all a game and not real, that's all.”

Greg and Amaya exchanged uncertain looks. “There's only one way to find out,” Amaya pointed out, holding up her arm and gesturing to her bracelet.

“Yeah!” Greg agreed, ready to discover if what Connor's mom said really was true.

Connor glanced down at his bracelet. “I don't know…”

“Come on, Connor!” begged Greg.

“Yeah, what's the worst that can happen?” Amaya said. “Either we turn into cool superheroes and save the day, or we don't.”

“But I can't stand not knowing for another second!” Before they could stop him, Greg pushed the button on his bracelet, and immediately a green light engulfed him. It ran down his body, changing his appearance. His pajamas turned into a green one-piece outfit made of scales, a tail, and a hood meant to resemble a lizard.

“Wow!” Amaya gasped and she too pressed the button on her bracelet, and her appearance changed too. She now wore a red outfit with wings and owl-like ears.

After witnessing his friends’ transformation, Connor didn't hesitate any longer; he pressed the button on his bracelet, and his pajamas changed to a blue outfit with a tail and ears that resembles a cat.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Then colorful lights filled their visions. When it cleared, they found themselves in a blue room with something like a hologram all around them. Pictures of the town and the park came up, and images of vehicles and of a weird looking totem pole with the heads of an owl, a cat, and a lizard, with wings like an owl.

“What is this place?” Greg breathed out in awed.

Connor walked closer to the thing he had just then decided to call the Picture Player. He looked closely at the totem pole. “I think… we’re in here.” He touched the image, and suddenly the picture of a blue car appeared beneath his fingers. He jumped back, startled. Lights turned on, and the trio turned to see the same blue car parked in the corner.

“Whoa!” Greg gasped. “A car!”

“I-I think that's your car, Connor,” said Amaya. “You're dressed in blue and the car is blue. Actually, I think this whole room is yours.”

“Really?” Connor looked around. “This is my room… And that's my car… It's the Cat-car.” He flicked his tail and moved his ears. “And I'm not Connor,” he added as he posed like a superhero. “I'm Catboy!” His stripes started glowing, and he pushed back on his heels. With super speed like a cat, he ran in circles around his friends.

“Cool!” Amaya and Greg said together.

Then Greg glanced around. “An elevator!” He ran to it and it took him down into a green room with an underground pond. And in the water was a vehicle that had a tail like a lizard. “The Gekko-mobile!” When he said this, an idea popped in his head. He did his own superhero pose, declaring,” I'm Gekko!”, before running to the wall and his scales turned a bright green color. He ran up the wall with a super grip like a lizard.

While Gekko went down, Amaya took the elevator up. At the top, the owl-girl stood in a red room with a vehicle that looked like an owl. She gasped. “The Owl Glider!” Spreading her wings, she flapped and propelled herself upwards with super wings like an owl. “I'm Owlette!”

Owlette and Gekko returned to Catboy's room. “This. Is. _Awesome_!” Owlette declared.

“Yeah!” Gekko agreed. “I wonder what other powers we have.”

“Let's go outside and find out!” Catboy suggested. He ran to the Picture Player and pressed a button. “To the Cat-car!”

They hurried over to it, Catboy jumping in the driver's seat while the other two sat in the back. They all buckled up. Catboy glanced over all the buttons, instinctively knowing which one to push.

The door opened to let the Cat-car out. It landed in front of the totem pole, on the bridge. Catboy pressed a button and the overhead door opened. The new trio superhero team jumped out of their seats.

“Okay, let's do a little practice to get used to our new powers,” Catboy said as soon as they landed outside the Cat-car.

Owlette pushed upwards and spun in circles, before stopping in one place. She flapped her wings and a red wind came out, and she imagined blowing away nighttime villains. But she lost her balance and fell out of the sky.

Gekko ran under Owlette and saved her before she hit the ground. For a moment, she was as light as a feather; then she became heavy again. He accidentally dropped her and stumbled back. “I'm sorry, Owlette! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks to you, Gekko,” she said. “You saved me.”

Gekko started blushing. “It was nothing. I had Super Gekko Muscles,” he added,” but it didn't last long…”

“And I did some sort of Super Owl Wind, but it was too powerful and I fell,” Owlette admitted.

Catboy walked over to them. “And that's why we have to practice. Come on, PJ Masks, let's go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment! Thank you!


	5. Another Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

At the playground, a kid in a full-covered navy blue ninja costume with nighttime stars on it stood in front of more kids in ninja costumes, but their outfits were purple and they were smaller— probably younger.

“Okay, Ninjalinos, watch me!” The night ninja jumped in the air, kicking and spinning. He landed neatly on the ground.

The Ninjalinos copied him. Well, tried to anyway. They bumped into one another and fell on their faces. They sat up and started laughing.

“Focus, Ninjalinos!” their leader snapped. “We have to practice to get better.”

One of the Ninjalinos said something, but it was just gibberish.

“Why?” the night ninja echoed what the younger ninja most likely said. “Because,” he answered as he did a flip in the air and landed on the turned over slide,” I'm the best ninja ever, and everyone needs to know it!” He reached behind his back and pulled out sticky splat. Spinning, he splattered the swings on the other side of the playground.

“Bullseye!” the night ninja declared.

His Ninjalinos cheered for him.

“Hold it right there, Night Ninja!”

Startled, Night Ninja spun around. A girl stood on the fence. She had white and silver sparkly hair that faded to black toward the end. She wore a black mask over her face, and a black and gray suit with a lunar eclipse on it.

Night Ninja gasped. “Luna Girl! What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Luna Girl retorted. “Up to no good, I presume.”

“Just practicing,” Night Ninja responded. He gestured to his Ninjalinos, and they split up, giggling. Luna Girl glanced nervously at them. Night Ninja stole her attention. “Must we play this game every night, Luna Girl? I don't see why we have to be enemies. We can join forces and rule the night together!”

“Join forces? With you?” Luna Girl turned her back on him. “Never! I'm good, and I will always defeat you, Night Ninja.” When she turned back, she realized the Ninjalinos were closer. They jumped at her, and barely without a second to think, Luna Girl hopped off the fence. The Ninjalinos slammed into one another.

“Ugh! Can't you Ninjalinos do anything right?” Night Ninja rolled his eyes. “If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.”

Night Ninja prepared himself to jump over the fence. But just then, Luna Girl reappeared, this time on her hovering board, with her Luna Magnet in hand. She also now had her moths with her.

Faced with all of Luna Girl’s powers, Night Ninja was rethinking a few things. The Ninjalinos took one look at Luna Girl and her Luna Magnet, and took off in the other direction.

“Ugh!” Night Ninja huffed. “We'll be back, Luna Girl! We'll keep practicing and some day beat you.” He turned and ran after his Ninjalinos.

Luna Girl was laughing at the pathetic ninjas as they retreated. “Good luck with that, Night Ninja!” she called after them. “For as long as the moon shines in the night sky, I will be here to stop nighttime villains like you!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Cat-car raced around the corner and skidded to a halt. The door opened, and the PJ Masks hopped out. They gathered together.

“That was awesome!” Gekko whooped.

“It was,” Catboy agreed. “The Cat-car is super fast! Like me!” He used his Super Cat Speed to run around his friends, but he was going too fast and didn’t have time to dodge a lamppost.

“Catboy!” his teammates gasped, running to him. “Are you okay, Catboy?” Gekko asked as he helped him back to his feet.

Catboy rubbed his head. “Yeah,” he replied. “Just a bit of a headache now.”

“You were right, Catboy,” Owlette told him. “We do need practice.”

Catboy was about to agree, when suddenly a flash of blue and purple caught his eye. He turned just in time to see what seemed to be kids jumping over the wall of the playground, disappearing into the night. The PJ Masks stared after them, before exchanging looks, too stunned to speak.

A voice brought their attention back to the playground. A girl was hovering there on a board, and she seemed to be calling after the kids who were running away. Catboy glanced at Gekko and Owlette. Then they all ran over to the strange girl.

“Hello?” Catboy hesitantly said.

The girl snapped around, her eyes huge. Clearly, she wasn't expecting Catboy and his team, and why should she have? They didn't know her, so of course she didn't have a clue who they were.

The girl hopped off her board and landed in front of the PJ Masks. A swarm of moths appeared over the wall and flew to the sparkling gray-haired kid, who looked Catboy, Gekko, and Owlette up and down.

“Who are you?” she asked with a slight attitude.

Catboy took a step forward. “We’re the PJ Masks. I’m Catboy, and this is Gekko and Owlette.”

“Hello,” Owlette said politely.

“Hey,” Gekko greeted her.

The girl nodded in acknowledgement. “Name’s Luna Girl.” She paused for a moment, then asked,” Where did you come from?”

“Oh, it’s kinda a long story,” Catboy responded, and he and the other two began to tell their story, starting from that morning when they met Gekko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	6. In The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

**Three years ago**

“What are we going to do with her? We can't take her with us.”

“Maybe my parents can watch her.”

“I don't know. She hardly knows them.”

“Do you want to take her with us?”

“You know we can't.”

“Then my parents are the only option.”

“Fine.”

Having heard enough, Laura backed away from the vent. Her parents didn't know that she could hear their conversation from the living room all the way in her bedroom. She walked over to her desk and sat down.

Her window was open and the tiny beat of wings made her look up at the moth beside her. Normally she'd be happy to see her only friend, but after hearing what her parents had planned for her, she couldn't bring herself to feel joyful.

“Oh, moth!” she sobbed. “I don't want to go live with people I don't know. What am I going to do?” She groaned and laid her head on her desk.

The moth whispered in her ear, and Laura lifted her head slowly. “That's… a great plan!” She hopped out of her chair. “Moth, I'm going to need your help.”

The next morning, Laura's parents came to tell her that she was going to her grandparents. But instead of saying that she was going to stay with them like it sounded like what they meant, they told her they were going to visit them for the weekend.

Laura said nothing, and the next couple of days, her and her parents packed enough stuff to last them a few days. Still she remained silent. Finally the day that she was dreading came.

“Laura?” her mother asked softly as they put their things in the car. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

Laura only nodded, and her mother didn't push it. As they got into the car, Laura's moth friend hid so it wasn't left behind. Laura looked at it knowingly. They already went over the plan, and now all they had to do was wait for the right time.

An hour into the drive, they stopped at a store to get drinks and use the restroom.

As the car came to a stop, the moth flew out of its hiding place and sat down on her mother's lap. It took a couple seconds for the woman to notice, but then she jumped and screamed. She panicked and her husband tried to get the moth to fly out the window, neither parent noticing their child sneaking out of the car until the moth flew out the window to meet the child in her hiding place behind some trees.

By the time they noticed she was gone, it was too late to stop her. She was at a safe distance. Finally she found somewhere to hide for a while. Her parents seemed to give up after a few minutes of looking around which was halfway relieving and halfway hurtful. Once she was sure they were gone, she slowly left her hiding spot and tried to figure out where she was. She didn't have any idea of where to go now so she just started walking.

After a few hours of looking around the city she had found herself in, she was getting tired and hungry. The sun was going down and the air was beginning to get uncomfortably cold. Each breeze chilled her bones and each step felt like it might be the last that she was capable of but she didn't want to give up so she just kept trudging through the tall grass, down a road that seemed to go nowhere.

At the end of the road stood a seemingly abandoned house. She cautiously walked toward it, and hesitantly called out. There was no answer. With a sigh of relief, Laura entered the deserted building. She found a corner of the house that was sheltered from the wind. She didn't have a pillow or blanket, so she was still cold.

“Maybe running away was a bad idea,” she murmured, shivering. She didn't know how to survive on her own. She was only five years old! But her parents tricked her. They could have told her that she was going to stay with her grandparents while they go off to do something they didn't want her to know about, but instead they lied to her and made it seem like they were just going for a visit, while really they were leaving her with people she didn't know.

Suddenly her attitude changed. She didn't care about her parents anymore because they obviously didn't care enough about her. They could have told her the truth, but they didn't. They betrayed her, and she hoped they were missing her.

Just then Laura's moth friend came through the window.

“Where have you been?” she demanded angrily, but really she was worried about losing the only friend in the whole wide world she had.

The moth flew to her and whispered in her ear. Laura's eyes widen. “Really? More moths?”

As she spoke, a swarm of nighttime flying insects surrounded her. “W-Where did you all come from?” she stammered.

Her first moth friend replied.

“Really? Just around the city? Hmm…” She thought for a moment. “I could use more company.” Just then her stomach growled loudly. Embarrassed, Laura stammered,” I guess I'm hungry.”

The swarm of moths flew out the window, leaving Laura and her first moth friend. Finally, the other moths appeared again, carrying something which they placed in front of Laura.

“Berries?” Her stomach growled again and she snatched up the berries, throwing them in her mouth and swallowing. “Thank you, moths.”

The moths flew in for a hug and Laura returned the gesture as best as she could.

“Aww, isn't that just adorable?”

Laura and her moths spun around to see a boy about her age looking through the window. Immediately Laura was alert and ready to run for it. But the boy seemed to sense this, for he said,” It's okay. I'm nobody scary.”

Laura still eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you?”

“Neil. And you?”

She was about to reply with her real name, then thought twice about it. If her parents are still looking for her, she couldn’t risk putting her identity out there. She searched her thoughts for a suitable name.

The boy was looking impatient. “Come on, it's not a hard question. What is your name?” he repeated slowly like she was dumb.

Finally, it came to her. Ever since she was a tiny baby, she's been fascinated with the moon and everything about the night, and just recently her dad taught her a new word. “Luna,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	7. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

Deep in a forest on the outskirts of town, Night Ninja paced back and forth as he ranted about Luna Girl. Silently, his Ninjalinos watched him.

“That Luna Girl, always thinking she's so much better than everyone else! Well she’s not!” Night Ninja paused in his pacing. “I am! And one day she will know that, and so will the rest of them! But first, Ninjalinos!” he added, turning to his minions. “We have to practice until we are unstoppable!”

Night Ninja ran back toward town, and his Ninjalinos hurried after him. They moved through the city with purpose, avoiding the playground in case Luna Girl was still hanging around there. They made for the park. When they got there, Night Ninja looked around. At the entrance of the park, across the bridge, was a tall statue with three heads. He grinned as an idea came to him. They could practice on the totem pole.

“Okay, Ninjalinos, get ready!”

They formed a line facing the totem pole. “Full power, Ninjalinos!”

As one, the Ninjalinos jumped into the air and stretched out their legs. After kicking the totem pole, they landed back on the ground and watched as the statue swayed.

“Keep it up!” Night Ninja ordered. “Now, sticky splat!”

In a flash, the Ninjalinos pulled out the orange gooey stuff and aimed at the totem pole.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“So, those bracelets gave you your superpowers?”

Luna Girl leaned against the wall, eyeing the trio with a mix of admiration and uncertainty. It was hard not to admire these kids. They seemed tough and levelheaded, which always made a good team. But still, she didn't know them, so she had to be wary of them just in case they were bad guys.

The green lizard boy, who called himself Gekko, nodded. “Catboy's mother and a couple of her friends were the PJ Masks when they were kids. Now we're the PJ Masks,” he added, exchanging an excited look with the owl girl.

Catboy looked ready to burst with pride that he’s following in his mother's footsteps.

“Right,” Luna Girl said as she climbed back onto her Luna Board. “Well, it was nice meeting you,” she stated,” but I must go. Night Ninja could be up to no good again. I guess I'll see you around.”

She was about to fly off, with her moths close behind, when Owlette blocked her way. “Wait. Maybe we can help you. We want to use our superpowers for good.”

Luna Girl nodded approvingly, but then shook her head. “I'm afraid I work alone.”

“Aw, come on,” Gekko begged from the ground. “We can help with Night Ninja. Four superheroes are better than one.”

Luna Girl considered their offer. What the lizard boy said was true. She's been able to stop Night Ninja by herself so far, but only temporarily. He always gets up to his old tricks again soon after she interferes. Maybe with help she will be able to stop him for good.

She nodded. “Okay, we can work together,” she told them.

“Great! Now let's go find—” Catboy was interrupted by a loud beeping noise coming from the blue car they drove up in. Catboy ran over there and gasped. “HQ!” he said urgently as he turned to his two teammates. “It's under attack!”

Luna Girl was sure that it was Night Ninja. She was ready to go in an instant, but she waited for the PJ Masks to jump in their car and buckle up. Then they were on their way, with Luna Girl right behind them on her Luna Board.

_What is Night Ninja up to now?_ she thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The park was all the way on the other side of town, but with the Cat-car they were there within minutes. When they arrived, the PJ Masks jumped out of their vehicle, and the newest member of the team, Luna Girl, flew up on her board, with her moths.

Looking across the bridge, they saw Night Ninja and his Ninjalinos facing the totem pole.

Gekko looked closer and gasped. “They're going to sticky splat our HQ!”

“Quick!” Catboy ordered. “Owlette, fly up there and knock the sticky splat out of their hands. Gekko, sneak over there. Okay?”

Gekko nodded. “I can use Super Gekko Camouflage,” he whispered as he turned invisible.

“Luna Girl,” the cat boy went on,” you be the distraction. Fly up there on your board, and—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luna Girl interrupted him. “I got this.”

Catboy watched as she flew up high above the ninjas head. “Super Cat Speed!” he stated as he followed his team.

Owlette appeared in front of the Ninjalinos just as they threw the sticky splat at the totem pole. “Super Owl Wind!” she said as she flapped her wings, blowing the sticky splat back down. Not meaning to, the sticky stuff splattered on Gekko, breaking his camouflage.

“Whoa!” the lizard boy exclaimed as he was knocked backward, getting stuck on the wall that surrounded the park.

Noticing this, Catboy was distracted and tripped over his own tail. Luna Girl watched the chaos, shaking her head. “Well, that didn't work,” she muttered.

“Huh?” Night Ninja looked around at the PJ Masks before turning to Luna Girl. “Who are these buffoons? Don't tell me you teamed up with them? You were better off alone than with them.”

“You're wrong, Night Ninja,” said Luna Girl, but inside she was wondering if he was right. If it was just her, she'd have stopped him by now and would be preparing for his next bad guy plan. However, she can't entirely blame them. They did just get their powers after all. Before they can do anything about Night Ninja, they need to practice using them first.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Night Ninja. "Or you could have just joined me. It would benefit you much more than working with them."

Luna Girl shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell you that I'll never join you? I'm good.”

Night Ninja rolled his eyes. “Whatever,” he muttered. “Come on, Ninjalinos. We don't have to stay here with these nitwits.” As one, the ninjas jumped into the air and over the wall of the park.

Luna Girl wanted to go after them, but she had to check on her new teammates first. She flew down to Catboy just as Owlette was helping him back on his feet.

“Are you guys okay?” she asked them.

Catboy opened his mouth to reply, but Gekko called out,” Um… guys? A little help, please.”

Luna Girl, Catboy, and Owlette hurried over there, and worked together to pull the sticky splat off of Gekko so he could climb down.

“Thanks,” the lizard boy said.

“Okay, let's regroup,” Owlette suggested.

“Yeah, what can we do to stop Night Ninja?” asked Gekko.

“Practice,” Luna Girl told them. “Lots and lots of practice.”

Catboy turned around to look at their HQ. “We need to figure out how to work better together, but the plan was a good one. It could have worked if…” His voice trailed away and he avoided eye contact.

“If what?” Luna Girl challenged, flying on her Luna Board and towering over the cat boy.

“If…” Catboy hesitated. “If…”

“Well?” Luna Girl demanded.

Catboy shifted on his feet nervously. “N-Never mind; let's just get in HQ and practice so we're ready for Night Ninja next time.”

Before Luna Girl could stop him, he used his Super Cat Speed to run the short distance to the totem pole. Owlette and Gekko exchanged looks, turned to Luna Girl, and finally followed Catboy. Luna Girl heaved a frustrated groan.

She was sure she didn't imagine it. Catboy had been ready to blame his team for his plan not working. She wasn't sure if she made the right decision about joining the PJ Masks, but she followed them into their HQ anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	8. Practicing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

Inside their HQ, Luna Girl stared in amazement. This place was so much better than her hideout! Maybe being a PJ Masks wouldn't be so bad after all. Then Catboy passed her and she remembered him trying to blame the others for his plan failing. She tried to contain the anger that rose in her.

She followed her new teammates to the middle of the room, and it startled her when a hologram suddenly surrounded her. Slowly, she walked closer to the pictures on the screen and realized these were the controls to the HQ. She was tempted to press a button, but she didn’t want to seem like just some kid. As a superhero, she needed to be professional.

“Welcome to the PJ Masks HQ,” Gekko said to Luna Girl. “How do you like it?”

Luna Girl pretended like this headquarters wasn’t the coolest thing she’s ever seen. “It’s okay,” she answered.

“Come on, guys,” Catboy said eagerly. “Let’s discuss practice plans.”

Owlette stepped forward. “I think Luna Girl should practice with each of us one on one. First, she can practice with me; then Gekko; and then Catboy.”

“Hey, why do I have to go last?” Catboy demanded. “It was my idea to practice so we can be ready for Night Ninja.”

The owl girl shrugged. “Okay. You can go first, if you really want.”

“Let’s do this!” Catboy pressed a button and the hologram vanished. Luna Girl groaned inwardly. She wasn’t looking forward to this.

Catboy ran to the other side of the room, getting ready. Meanwhile, Gekko and Owlette passed Luna Girl on their way to the elevator. They smiled at her, and she smiled back. “Okay, Luna Girl,” said Catboy when the others were gone. “We need to figure out how to make both of our powers work together.”

Luna Girl nodded. “Yup.”

The first few minutes, it was going okay, and they came up with a move where both of them jumped at the same time, but Luna Girl missed slightly and fell. Catboy was much too quick to criticize and she was getting pretty aggravated with his attitude. The rest of the training session pretty much went the same way: Luna Girl messing up the move just slightly and Catboy criticizing her.

After a while, she couldn’t take it any longer, and she was about to go off on him, when he ended the session. In a flash, she was in the elevator before he could say anything to her, and then she found herself in a green room. Gekko was climbing the wall with his Super Lizard Grip, but when he noticed her, he let go and landed in front of her.

“How did your training session go with Catboy?” he asked.

Luna Girl groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Gekko seemed confused, but didn’t try pushing the subject. Instead, he suggested they start training. This session was ten times better than training with Catboy. Gekko didn’t criticize her when she messed up, which was only once or twice. She felt at ease with him and they seemed to work well together, coming up with a couple of good moves that could stop Night Ninja.

When the session came to an end, she found herself wishing they could continue, but not wanting to sound needy, she said goodbye to Gekko and went up to see Owlette. The owl girl was flying around the red room, skillfully pulling up when she got too close to a wall. Luna Girl watched in amazement.

“Wow, that was awesome!” Luna Girl said as Owlette landed.

“Thanks,” Owlette panted. “I’ve been practicing. How long did it take you to get used to flying on your board?”

Luna Girl whistled and her moths appeared, carrying her Luna Board. She hopped on it and flew around the room; Owlette followed her. “It took a long time to get this good,” she admitted as she went in a different direction to avoid hitting the wall. “But right away, I felt comfortable on it, like I was meant to have it.” She stopped near the roof.

Owlette pulled up beside her. “That’s exactly how I feel about flying,” she confessed.

Luna Girl and Owlette smiled at each other; then they flew around the room, spinning and doing other cool tricks. It was fun to show off to someone. During the night, it was just Luna Girl and her moths. She forgot what it was like to have others around.

After training, they all met up with Catboy in his room. “Okay, good practice, everyone,” he said, and Luna Girl tried so hard not to roll her eyes. She had fun with Gekko and Owlette, but not so much with Catboy. He was way too bossy and critical.

“Let’s practice again in the same order,” Catboy suggested. “This time, we need to be better. Remember we have to be good enough to stop Night Ninja. Luna Girl,” he said as he turned to her, but he didn’t finish his sentence.

“What?” Luna Girl demanded.

Catboy avoided eye contact. “N-Nothing,” he stammered.

“No, what?” she pressed.

“Well…” Catboy hesiated, then said,” Well, our practice didn’t really go that great…”

“And you blame me?” Luna stared at him, offended.

“No, not necessarily.” Catboy paused. “I just thought it could have gone better.”

Luna Girl opened her mouth to give a sharp retort, but decided he wasn’t worth it. She turned around and marched to the elevator. Leaving the HQ, Luna Girl stormed toward the park entrance.

Meanwhile, Catboy looked shocked that she walked out. “Wha—” Then he crossed his arms. “Fine. Go. I don’t care. We don’t need you anyways.” He sat down on the floor.

Gekko and Owlette shared a look. “You go after Luna Girl,” Owlette said to Gekko. “I’ll stay here with Catboy.”

“Okay.” Gekko followed Luna Girl out of the HQ.

Walking over to him, Owlette sat down beside Catboy. “Are you okay?” she asked.

At first, he didn’t answer. Then he sighed. “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” Owlette replied. “Yes, you did. She was doing her best, and she’s amazing when nobody pushes her.”

Catboy stood up. “I should go apologize. It’s time to be a hero,” he declared.

Owlette nodded, and the two of them followed Gekko and Luna Girl out of the HQ.

Outside, Gekko caught up to Luna Girl before she left the park. She flew down on her Luna Board as he came to a halt to catch his breath.

“Wait,” he panted, exhausted from the run over to her. “Don’t-Don’t go. Catboy didn’t mean what he said.”

Luna Girl crossed her arms. “I’m sure he did,” she huffed. She sighed and looked down at Gekko. “I was having a lot of fun with you and Owlette,” she admitted, then hesitated and went on,” But Catboy… he just kept getting mad at me when we couldn’t get our timing right. Like somehow I’m the only possible reason it could have gone wrong,” she said quietly. “He’s just…” She paused for a moment, then confessed,” He talks like my dad always did…” As soon as those words came out, she immediately regretted saying them. She froze in horror, terrified that she had said too much and made herself seem weak or emotional. But then Gekko said something that surprised her.

“My dad was like that, too. To me and my mom,” he confided in her. “Then, one day, my mom decided that she was tired of it and we moved here.” He stopped for a moment, and Luna Girl looked back at him. His face looked like he was in another world. When he spoke again, it seemed like he was talking to himself.

“I was scared to come here,” he said. “I’ve always been considered… a little different because I skipped a grade last year and everyone acted like it was a bad thing. I felt like an outcast… until I came to this school, and Catboy and Owlette were really nice to me…” He trailed off, and Luna Girl hopped off her Luna Board. She landed in front of him, offering him a smile.

“And you and Owlette… and Catboy,” she hesitantly added,” have been really nice to me, too. I don’t have many friends here, but I’d like to think I’ve made three tonight.”

“You bet!” Gekko outreached his arms, and Luna Girl hugged him. She felt close to him, and it was good to feel like that.

“Guys!” Catboy appeared beside them, having used his Super Cat Speed, and Owlette was just catching up. Catboy turned to Luna Girl. “Look, Luna Girl, I’m sorry I said what I said, I didn’t mean any of it. You’re doing great. We all are.”

“We three still have a lot of practice to do before we’re as good as you,” Owlette said to Luna Girl.

Luna Girl agreed. “And I’m not used to working with a team. It’ll take some time, but I’ll get used to it.”

Catboy smiled. “And together, we’ll stop Night Ninja.”

Looking up at the sky, Luna Girl observed the moon starting to set. “But not tonight,” she regretfully said. “We have to get him another night.”

“And we will!” Catboy declared. After saying goodbye to Luna Girl, the PJ Masks headed for home. Gekko paused to watch Luna Girl fly into the night. It felt good telling her all his problems, and he wondered if she enjoyed expressing hers. With one last look in her direction, Gekko hurried after his friends to get back home before the sun made its first appearance of the new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	9. Luna Magnet and Board

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

It’s been almost a week now since Luna ran away. She’s been spending nights hanging with Neil since that’s when the city was empty, and during the day, she sleeps, while Neil went back to his family. She found herself thinking about her parents more than she wanted to, but when she started missing her old life, she would remind herself how her parents lied to her and that they planned to leave her with people she didn’t know, even if they were her grandparents.

Now, she sat in her hideout, watching the sun set. Neil would be here soon. But as she waited, the full moon climbed higher in the sky, and when she was beginning to think he wouldn’t show up, he appeared from the darkness. Walking up, he attempted to look cool, but Luna could tell that he was exhausted.

He tossed a lock of hair out of his face with a self-assured flick of his hand and a cocky smile. He sat down on the floor in a sloppy yet very intentional way that looked like he just sort of fell into a cross legged position.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he said in a calm and confident manner. “I had to wrangle my brothers into bed. It takes a while when there are so many kids in one house. But I’m kind of an expert,” he added, trying to make it sound like this daily process had started to seem easy to him but as he continued to talk her through this evening’s many troubles, his voice began to show that he really was still a young boy trying to care for a large group of smaller children. It was hard on him, even though he tried so hard to hide it.

Luna walked across the room and sat down beside him. “Why do you have to do everything?” she ventured. “Why can't your parents do it?”

Neil sighed. “They work at night and sleep during the day, while my brothers are in school.”

“What about you?” Luna asked. “Don't you go to school?”

Shaking his head, Neil explained,” While my parents are asleep and my brothers are at school, I stay home and do chores around the house.”

“So when do you have fun?” Luna questioned, curious.

“That's why I come out at night,” Neil responded. “It's the only time I can get any peace and quiet. Don't get me wrong, I love my little brothers and they need me, but…” He sighed deeply.

Luna rested her hand on his shoulder. “But you're just a kid,” she finished his sentence for him. “You can't be expected to take care of everything at your age. Don’t your parents do _anything_?”

His reply was only a shake of his head.

Luna hesitated and then decided to confide in her new friend. “I was an only child, but my parents still didn't have time for me. They worked all the time, and I guess they got tired of me altogether because they were sending me to live with my grandparents. But they lied to me and said we were only going for a visit, so I ran away.”

“If it weren't for my brothers, I'd run away, too,” Neil murmured.

For a moment the two kids sat in silence, caught up in their own misery. Then Luna got to her feet and held out her hand for Neil to take. Once he was standing too, she pulled him out of the abandoned house and into the night.

“Let’s do something fun, then,” Luna suggested,” before you have to return to your brothers.”

“Like what?” Neil asked, doubtful that they would find something to do. For as long as he could remember, he’s been sneaking out of his house at night and so far has only been able to find peace and quiet, but nothing fun to do.

Luna thought, then gave a huge smile. “What about hide and seek?” she suggested.

“Hide and seek,” Neil echoed, considering it. After a moment or two, he nodded in agreement.

“You hide first,” Luna said. “I'll count.”

“Okay.” Neil ran into the night, and when he was out of sight, Luna covered her eyes.

“One… two… three…” She continued to count up to ten, and when she was done, she called out,” Ready or not, here I come!"

First, she searched around the abandoned house and the nearby woods, but she didn’t find him. _Maybe he’s hiding somewhere in town,_ she guessed, heading down a path that led to the center of the city. Suddenly there was a bright light above, and Luna looked up just in time to see something falling out of the sky.

She stared up for several moments. Did she really just see that? Or… no, she really just saw that.

Snapping out of it, she pushed her way through the woods, coming to an open clearing. In the middle of it was a huge rock that was glowing. She cautiously walked over there, shielding her eyes from the brightness. Carefully, she reached out, but even before she touched it, the rock split in half.

The inside was even brighter. But a moment later, it faded out. What she saw in it made her mouth drop open.

Squeaking startled her, but she relaxed when she realized it was only her moth friends.

"Look at this," she whispered, completely in awe. She reached down and picked up the items. She studied them, then looked at the rock again. One of her moths spoke in her ear. "You think… these things came from… outer space?" It made sense. "Wow! Some kind of… Luna Board? And… what's this? A magnet? A Luna Magnet! So cool!"

She was about to test out her new stuff when she heard rustling in the bushes behind her, followed by someone calling out.

"Quick, hide these," she said to her moths, throwing the objects to them. She watched them fly away with the items. Then she turned just as Neil pushed his way out of the woods and stepped into the clearing.

"Luna?" he questioned. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing." Luna tried her best to block the space rock from Neil's view, but he still saw it. He walked over to it, eyes wide. In silent shock, he studied the rock.

Luna tried to act nonchalantly, like she didn't find anything inside the rock. "I just found this," she told him. "It fell out of the sky." _At least he doesn't know about my magnet and board._

Neil reached out to touch it. "A… space rock?" he stammered.

"That's what I think it is," Luna said. "But other than that, I don't think it's very special. There wasn't anything inside it." She tried to remain calm when she said that, but she was really nervous that he'd see that she was lying.

She wanted to tell him the truth, but she didn't want to share her new things. As an only child, sharing wasn't her strong suit.

Wanting to distract him, she quickly said," Come on, there's nothing to see here. Let's finish our game."

Neil hesitated, seeming to want to argue. But finally, he sighed and nodded. "Okay," he agreed.

With a long glance at the space rock, Neil followed Luna out of the clearing and back through the woods. When the abandoned building where Luna had been staying came into view, Luna immediately spotted her moths with the objects she found, hiding out in the house. Before Neil had time to notice, Luna turned him around.

"Whoa!" Neil exclaimed, looking dizzy from being spun around so fast. He stumbled a little, but after a moment, he straightened up. “What’s the deal?” he demanded.

Luna thought fast, stretching her jaws into a massive yawn. “Oh! Look at the time! It’s getting late, and I’m getting tired. We should probably call it a night, doncha think?”

Neil blinked. “But it’s not sunrise yet,” he objected.

“Well, tonight was fun,” she hurriedly said, ignoring him. “See you tomorrow night?”

“What about our game?”

Luna started pushing Neil down the path toward the city. “We can finish it tomorrow,” she insisted. “Okay, bye!”

He stood there, eyeing her for a long moment, before finally shrugging and walking off. She waved goodbye to him until he was out of sight. Then she ran back to her hideout, letting out a sigh of relief.

“That was close!” she breathed.

Her moths flew to her and dropped her new Luna Magnet and Luna Board in front of her.

“Careful!” she snapped, bending down to pick them up. She made sure they weren’t damaged. Then she hopped onto her board. She was unsteady on it as it suddenly went up. The board wobbled under her and a moment later, it wasn’t there anymore. She found herself falling to the ground, screaming. But right before she crash landed, she was caught by her moths.

“Thanks,” she panted. “This is gonna take more work than I thought.” Her moths agreed with her. “But I can do this!” Luna declared, jumping on her Luna Board again.

She fell off again and again, but she never gave up.

Unknowing to her or her moths, someone was spying on them, watching closely.

"Luna," the anonymous watcher whispered softly," I knew you were hiding something."

Once the unseen person has witnessed enough, they went away without a sound, and Luna never knew they were there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	10. Neil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

The bell rang just as the trio got to school. They were surprised to see the school yard all cleaned up and the equipment fixed. They shared a confused look.

Then Greg said,” I bet you Luna Girl did this.”

“Yeah,” Amaya agreed. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”

Connor nodded. “We sure are lucky to have her on our side.”

They started inside.

“Last night was great!” Greg suddenly jumped in the air and did a spin.

Connor and Amaya both laughed. “It sure was,” agreed Connor.

“I can’t wait again for tonight!” Amaya admitted.

“Me either,” Greg and Connor said.

The teacher walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the three friends. “It’s time for class, kids.”

They tried to pay attention in class as the teacher read everyone a book, but they couldn’t stop thinking about last night. As time slowly slipped by, they shared impatient looks. Finally, it was time for recess, but instead of playing, they sat around and talked about their new superpowers.

“Did you see my Super Gekko Muscles?” Greg asked excitedly.

“And my Super Cat Speed!” Connor boasted. “I bet you I’m faster than any other superhero!”

Amaya jumped up. “It felt amazing to fly!” she said, stretching out her arms and running in circles around her friends, wishing she had wings like her alter ego Owlette.

Before long, it was time to go in, and after a while, the last school bell rang. The trio of friends decided to go to the library where all the important books in the whole city were. Maybe they could find something about the bracelets that turned them into superheroes.

But when they got there, the building was covered with sticky splat. Connor, Greg, and Amaya exchanged knowing looks. “Night Ninja!” they all said at the same time.

“What’s he up to this time?” Greg wondered.

“Whatever it is, we’ll stop him,” Connor replied.

“With Luna Girl’s help,” Amaya added.

Connor looked at his friends determinedly. “PJ Masks, we’re on our way!”

“Into the night to save the day!” the three of them said at the same time, fist bumping each other.

Later that night, the three friends were in their own bedrooms: Amaya was reading a book about owls; Greg was playing with his pet lizard, which he brought with him from his old house to his new home; And Connor was writing down his adventure the night before in a journal.

At the same moment, they all noticed the moon rising in the sky. Setting down her book, Amaya pressed the button on her bracelet. In a flash of red, she transformed from an ordinary kid to a superhero called Owlette.

Greg rose to his feet and, pushing the button on his bracelet, a green light engulfed him. When it cleared, he was now his alter ego, Gekko.

With an exclamation of joy, Connor touched the button on his bracelet. A blue light surrounded him, and then he was Catboy, a superhero who goes into the night to stop villains from ruining the day for the daytime kids.

Together, the friends were swept away by the colorful lights and suddenly they were back in their Totem Pole HQ, with their Picture Player turning on around them, showing them images of the town.

Catboy studied each place carefully. After a moment or two, he noticed the naughty ninjas. “There,” he said, pointing to the location. “Let’s go!” He pressed a button and the trio ran to the Cat-car, hopping in and buckling up.

When Catboy pressed a button, the door to his room opened and the car jerked forward, landing outside. Stepping on the gas, Catboy drove the car farther into the park. They were there within moments.

Jumping out, the PJ Masks found themselves facing Night Ninja and his Ninjalinos. Before any of them could say anything, Luna Girl appeared behind a tree and hopped off her Luna Board, landing beside her teammates.

“Stop it right there, Night Ninja!” she said, pointing to the ninja. “What are you up to this time?”

Night Ninja looked innocent as he answered. “Just practicing.” Suddenly his eyes hardened and he turned to his Ninjalinos. “Get them!” he ordered.

Instantly, the smaller ninjas jumped into the air. Owlette flapped her wings and took to the sky, while Catboy and Gekko ducked away. But Luna Girl didn’t get out of the way in time. The Ninjalinos pinned her to the ground, looking up as their master walked over.

“Now, don’t you wish you’d join me?” he said, smirking down at her.

Luna Girl huffed. “I’ll never join you,” she snapped.

Mischief sparked in his eyes. “Oh, but Luna,” he started. “I thought we were friends.”

Luna Girl stared at him, confused at first. Then she gasped, not wanting to believe it, but suddenly his voice sounded very familiar. “N-Neil?” she stammered.

Night Ninja nodded. “I’m surprised it took you this long to figure it out,” he said. “I knew who you were the day you got your powers.”

“But...how?“

“I saw you practicing with your gadgets,” he explained. “That’s why I’ve been trying so hard to get you on my side. For a while you were my only friend, but after I became Night Ninja, I realized I needed followers so I trained my brothers until they were ready to come into the night with me.”

“Your brothers?” Luna Girl blinked. “You mean your brothers are your Ninjalinos?”

“Yes,” Night Ninja replied. “They were very eager to join me when they saw how strong I was.”

The Ninjalinos, still holding Luna Girl down, cheered for their master, who was also their older brother. Luna Girl, seeing her opportunity, struggled beneath them and managed to throw them off. Now she stood face to face with Night Ninja— Neil, the first friend she met after running away. She never imagined that he could be a villain. Once a week, they still meet up, but she always thought he hung around his house when she was protecting the city as Luna Girl.

Instead, he was out here with her this whole time, causing mischief with his young followers. She didn’t want it to be true. She was torn. Neil revealed himself as a good friend, but Night Ninja was anything but good.

Dazed, she stumbled away from him. Suddenly her three new teammates were beside her, fussing over her.

“Are you okay, Luna Girl?” asked Owlette.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Catboy fretted as Gekko just gave her a worried look.

Luna Girl couldn’t answer. She was in shock. What was going to happen now? She was supposed to take a break as Luna Girl tomorrow night and meet up with Neil. But she couldn’t do that now— not after what she just found out.

“I see you need some time to process all this,” Night Ninja said, snapping his fingers, and in a flash, the Ninjalinos lined up behind him. “Meet me at our hideout tomorrow night and we can discuss things then. Ninjalinos!” he added with authority. “Let’s go!”

Luna Girl watched as they retreated farther into the park, still unable to speak. Should she meet him? What was there to discuss? She wasn’t about to join him, if that’s what he wanted to talk about!

But as that thought crossed her mind, she started to have doubts. Maybe she should join him. He was Neil after all, her only true friend, besides the moths, and they were fine and all, but her and Neil had a lot in common.

They had no one else who knew what life had been like before all this happened. No one else could understand them... No one else understood her. She wasn't sure how she felt about her new friends yet. Was she really willing to lose Neil, for them?

A voice broke into her thoughts. “Luna Girl?” said Gekko, and she turned to see him blinking anxiously at her. “Are you okay?”

Still confused, she stammered,” Yes, I'm fine.”

“You know Night Ninja?” Catboy questioned. “I mean, really know him, more than a villain?”

Luna Girl hesitated, wondering if she ought to tell them. She decided it wouldn’t harm anything so she confessed meeting Neil one night three years ago— though, she left out that she had just ran away from her parents. She told them about the space rock that fell out of the sky and about practicing with her new gadgets.

“I guess Neil saw me,” she murmured. “For as long as I can remember Night Ninja has been trying to get me to join him. I didn’t have a clue that Night Ninja was Neil.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna join Night Ninja?” Gekko asked, frowning at Luna Girl.

“No, ‘course not,” she responded, though deep down she still didn’t know what to do. “But I’m gonna meet him tomorrow night and see what he has to say.”

“We’ll come with you,” Catboy offered.

 _Did he mean I can’t handle myself?_ she thought indignantly. “I’m fine, thanks. I don’t need your help. I can deal with Night Ninja alone.”

“We just want to help,” Gekko told her gently. “That’s what friends do.”

Luna Girl felt a rush of guilt about overreacting. She was about to apologize, but then Catboy said,” It’s not that I think you can’t handle yourself or anything. I just think you might need some backup, that’s all.”

Anger ran through Luna Girl. “I don’t need backup. I’ve been dealing with Night Ninja by myself for years. I can cope, thank you very much!” Before the PJ Masks could stop her, she hopped on her Luna Board, called her moths to her, and left.

Gekko stared after her. “Poor Luna Girl,” he murmured.

“Yeah, I wish there was something we could do to help her,” Owlette agreed.

Catboy was silent for a moment, then turned to his friends with a bright expression. “There is something we can do! We can be there for her when she meets with Night Ninja.”

Gekko and Owlette stared at him. “But she said she wanted to go alone,” Gekko reminded him.

“Besides, we don’t know where their hideout is,” Owlette pointed out.

“I’m sure we can use the Picture Player to find out,” Catboy said. “And nobody really wants to go do something like this alone. She’s our friend and we can’t let her face Night Ninja by herself.”

His two friends thought about it and finally they nodded. “Okay, I’m in,” Gekko announced.

“Me too,” Owlette added.

“Now come on!” Catboy went on. “It’s getting pretty late and I think Night Ninja won’t show up again tonight. We can call it a night and meet Luna Girl tomorrow.”

Gekko and Owlette agreed and the three of them left to return to their homes to get a few hours of sleep before school tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	11. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

The moon floated higher in the sky and Luna Girl stared longingly up at it. She knew she should get back to her hideout, but still she lingered in the park. She took a short nap in the morning, spent the afternoon thinking, and then went for a walk when the sun set and everyone went to bed.

Now she sat in the park, trying to make sense of the thoughts running through her mind. Should she join Night Ninja— No, Neil— or stay with the PJ Masks? She just met the new trio of superheroes, but Neil has been her only friend— besides her moths— for three years now. She couldn’t turn her back on all that, could she?

“I don’t know,” she sighed.

Squeaking made her look up to see her moths approaching. They said something to her.

“He’s there already?” She sighed again. “Come on, we should go.” She climbed onto her Luna Board and flew off.

Unknowing to her, the PJ Masks was watching her on their Picture Player. Gekko fridget beside his friends. “I don’t like this,” he murmured. “It doesn’t feel right, spying on Luna Girl.”

“We’re doing it to help her,” Catboy told him.

“We should follow her to see where their hideout is,” Owlette said, though she sounded uncertain like she didn’t really like this either.

Catboy nodded and pushed a button on the Picture Player. He started running to his Cat-car, but Owlette called him back. “She’d see us in the Cat-car,” she pointed out.

“Oh yeah.” Catboy looked thoughtful.

Despite himself, Gekko spoke up. “What about the Gekko-mobile? It can turn invisible and we can follow her without her seeing us.”

“Good idea,” Catboy said, and he pushed the button to activate the Gekko-mobile. Then all three of them ran to the elevator which took them down to Gekko’s room.

Hopping into the vehicle, they buckled up and Gekko hit a button which made the green car dive underwater. Once out of their HQ, the Gekko-mobile jumped out of the water and landed on the bridge.

“Super Gekko-mobile Camouflage!” Gekko declared as he pressed a button and the Gekko-mobile turned invisible.

Stealthily, Gekko drove the car over the bridge and paused just outside the park. He looked around, but it was Owlette who spotted Luna Girl when she used her Super Owl Eyes to see far away.

“There!” she exclaimed. “She’s heading out of town!”

“Let’s follow her!” Catboy said.

“Are you sure about this?” Gekko asked, uncertainty. “She didn’t really seem to want us there. She said she can take care of Night Ninja by herself,” he reminded them.

“But she’s our friend!” Catboy objected. “We can’t let her face danger on her own.”

“Maybe Catboy’s right,” Owlette said. “We should at least make sure she’s safe.”

Gekko reluctantly nodded and pushed the gas, driving the invisible Gekko-mobile through the streets. Not long after they left the town behind, they all spotted Luna Girl flying on her Luna Board, heading down a dirt path. They followed her; Gekko put on the breaks when Luna Girl came to an abandoned house and hopped off her board.

“We should get a closer look,” Catboy whispered.

“Park behind those trees, Gekko,” said Owlette, pointing.

“Okay,” Gekko muttered, still not liking this, but he hid his Gekko-mobile behind the trees anyways, and all three of them hopped out. “Maybe I should go over there by myself,” he said to his friends. “I can turn invisible and sneak over there to hear what they are saying. If she needs our help, I’ll come back and tell you.”

“Okay,” Catboy agreed.

“Be careful,” Owlette told him.

Gekko nodded and said quietly,” Super Gekko Camouflage,” and he blended in with his surroundings, making it seem like he turned invisible. Silently, he crawled over to where Luna Girl was joining Night Ninja, who was sitting on the steps of the building. The ninja got to his feet and nodded to Luna Girl.

“Glad you made it,” he said. “And even gladder that you didn’t bring those dopey superheroes with you.”

“They’re okay,” Luna Girl replied. She hesitated for a moment, and Gekko saw the uncertainty in her eyes. “What are we doing out here, Night—”

“Please, call me Neil,” the ninja interrupted her. “We shouldn’t keep secrets from each other anymore.”

Gekko noticed the uncertainty grow on Luna Girl’s face and he wondered what she was thinking. Suddenly, he realized how strange this must be for her. For years, she thought her friend, Neil, and her enemy, Night Ninja, were two different people, but now she knows they're the same person, someone close to her.

 _I’m sorry, Luna,_ he thought, frowning. He wished he could make her feel better, but he believed this was something between her and Night Ninja, no matter what Catboy said.

Suddenly he saw Night Ninja take a step toward Luna Girl, who backed up. If he hadn’t moved just in time, she would have ran right into him. “Why must we pretend, Luna?” Night Ninja asked her.

“Pretend?” she echoed, looking confused.

“Yes. Just admit it. You like me.”

Luna Girl stared at him. “W-What?” she stammered.

“You like me,” Night Ninja repeated. “Don’t pretend anymore. I’ve felt it for years, and I’m sure you have too. If you join me, we can be together and do whatever we want! What do you say?”

Say no! Say no! Gekko thought. He saw the look of longing on Luna Girl’s face like she was actually considering it. Did she like him back? A sparkle of emotion hit him but he wasn’t sure what it was. He just hoped she'd tell the ninja that she didn’t feel the same and that she’ll never join him.

She was still hesitating when there was a commotion near the trees and suddenly Catboy bursted out of hiding. “Hold it right there, Night Ninja!” he ordered, getting in between him and Luna Girl.

Gekko stared in astonishment. _What is he doing?_ he thought. _I didn’t tell him to do that!_

Luna Girl and Night Ninja both looked equally shocked, and for a long time, neither spoke. Gekko realized that Catboy might need his help. Breaking his camouflage, the lizard boy hurried over, joining the others just as Owlette swooped down from above. Luna Girl blinked, her eyes suddenly growing hard and cold.

“What are you three doing here?” she demanded, stomping her foot in anger.

Catboy looked surprised that Luna Girl was so angry, but Gekko wasn’t, and he could tell that Owlette wasn’t either. “W-We just thought you might need some help,” Catboy stammered, glancing at his teammates, then turning back to Luna Girl.

“I told you last night that I don’t need your help!” Luna Girl shouted, throwing her arms up dramatically. Anger blazed in her eyes. “I’ve been a superhero longer than you have! You can’t just come in here and start to order me around! I thought we were going to be a team!”

“We are a team,” Gekko tried to reassure her, but she glared at him and he stepped back, lowering his gaze to the ground.

“I don’t want to be a part of your team anymore,” Luna Girl announced, and Gekko and Owlette shared a nervous glance, then turned back to Luna Girl as she walked over to Night Ninja. “I’ll join you, Neil,” she said with a glare at Catboy.

Night Ninja stared at her. Then he blinked and smiled. “Good. Come on, Luna. Let’s leave these buffoons to ruin someone else’s meeting.” He did a backflip and vanished into the bushes. Luna Girl hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Gekko, then Owlette. Was that regret in her eyes? Then her eyes landed on Catboy and anger entered them again. She hopped onto her Luna Board and followed Night Ninja.

“Wait!” Gekko called after her. “Wait, Luna Girl!” She ignored him and soon she was out of sight. He sighed. _Oh, Luna Girl…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	12. The Villains’ Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

Back at HQ, the trio of superheroes sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Gekko jumped to his feet and turned on Catboy. “We shouldn’t have listened to you,” he blurted out. “Everything was going fine, but you talked us into following Luna Girl, and now she’s joined Night Ninja. This is all your fault!”

“Gekko!” gasped Owlette.

Gekko knew he was being unfair, but he was just so angry. He really liked Luna Girl and he had been looking forward to spending more time with her. But now she was a villain, working with Night Ninja, and that meant they were enemies. He didn’t like that.

Catboy avoided Gekko’s eyes. “I know,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’m sorry.”

“Catboy, it’s not your fault,” Owlette said softly. “It’s nobody’s fault,” she went on, glancing at Gekko, who reluctantly nodded, though deep down he still kind of blamed Catboy for convincing them to follow Luna Girl after she had made it clear that she wanted to go alone. He missed her; it had been easy to talk to her.

 _Where is she now?_ he wondered.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Luna Girl was following Night Ninja into a building. She looked around, curious and nervous at the same time. Did she do the right thing? She wasn’t sure, but she had been so angry with the PJ Masks for coming when she told them not to. She expected Catboy to do something like that; she didn’t think Gekko and Owlette would go along with him.

Now, she was starting to regret her rash decision. She was good, and she stood up against bad guys like Night Ninja. Maybe she could sneak away and go back to fighting villains by herself, but what would she say to Night Ninja? Or the PJ Masks for that matter? She didn’t want to seem weak or have them think that she made a mistake.

 _I guess I’m a villain now,_ she told herself, frowning.

Squeaking startled her and she turned to see her moths approaching her. Joy filled her up. Villain or hero, at least she had her moths and nothing was going to change that. As they flew around her, she giggled and embraced them.

She looked at Night Ninja when he cleared his throat. “Those moths of yours are just as loyal as my Ninjalinos,” he commented, and as if mentioning them was some kind of signal, the smaller ninjas appeared and ran to their master, hugging him.

Luna Girl blinked. She didn’t think Night Ninja and his Ninjalinos had a connection like she did with her moths. She never really considered that a villain could be friends with his followers.

 _I guess we’re not so different after all,_ she realized, surprised.

A new voice spoke out from farther in the building. “Well, well, well,” it said in a whining sort of way.

Luna Girl looked up and took out her Luna Magnet, aiming it at the shadowy figure as it came closer. Then it stepped into the light and she stared in amazement. It was a boy! He was slender with a spiky black hairdo that has a single white streak in it, and he wore a lab coat, gloves, and goggles. He walked closer to them and grinned.

Convinced that she had just walked right into a trap, Luna Girl backed away, still holding her magnet. “Don’t come any closer,” she told the boy in the lab coat. “I mean it!” she insisted as he exchanged an amused look with Night Ninja.

“You can relax, Luna Girl,” the sneaky ninja said calmly, walking over to her and she allowed him to lower her hand with the magnet in it. “This is Romeo,” he went on, gesturing to the spiky haired boy. “Romeo, this is the girl I’ve been telling you about: Luna Girl.”

“Pleasure,” Romeo said in a smug sort of way. “Night Ninja told me he’s been trying to get you to join him for years, but you always refused. Why the sudden change today?”

Luna Girl put her Luna Magnet in her back pocket and crossed her arms. “Does that really matter? I’m here now.”

She heard Night Ninja whisper to Romeo,” Those silly superheroes I told you about crashed our meeting and she was really upset. I think that’s what convinced her to come here.”

Rolling her eyes, Luna Girl said loudly,” Is this what you do when you aren’t causing trouble? Sit around and gossip? I want to do something.” _But nothing bad,_ she added to herself. Right now she’d be patrolling the city and keeping it safe from Night Ninja. Instead, she was here with him and this new villain while she should be out there with the PJ Masks.

Then she remembered how they had thought she needed rescuing like she was some kind of helpless kid. _I was a superhero longer than them! I was perfectly fine on my own!_ Anger rose in her, but Night Ninja broke into her thoughts.

“Romeo has a plan,” he said, nudging the other boy. “Explain it to her.”

Romeo nodded and took a step toward Luna Girl, explaining his plan, and Luna Girl listened with uncertainty. _Can I really do this?_ she wondered, frowning.

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“So what now?” Gekko finally asked, turning to his friends.

“Maybe we find Luna Girl and apologize?” Owlette suggested with a glance at Catboy, who was nodding.

“I was a terrible friend,” he admitted. “But I’m going to make it up to her. It’s time to be a hero!” He ran to the Picture Player and headed toward his Cat-Car.

“We’ll find her faster if we split up,” Owlette pointed out. “You take the Cat-Car, Catboy, and I’ll take the Owl Glider.”

“And I’ll take the Gekko-mobile,” Gekko said excitedly.

They all agreed and jumped into their own vehicles: The Gekko-mobile dived underwater, the Owl Glider flew out Owlette’s door, and the Cat-Car zoomed out of HQ. Once outside, they all went in different directions, but they were able to talk over the PJ Communicators. Whoever finds Luna Girl first, will call the others and they will all meet up again.

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“I’m not sure about this,” Luna Girl whispered to her moths as she watched Night Ninja and the new villain, Romeo, get ready for their plan. She looked around nervously. They were inside the museum, waiting for the PJ Masks. Would they show up? If they did, what would she say? She gulped and turned her attention back to the boys who were arguing.

“Would you listen to me?” Romeo was saying, looking frustrated. “That won’t work. You need to follow my plan exactly.” He said the word “exactly” like his fellow villain was stupid, and the anger that flashed in Night Ninja’s eyes told Luna Girl that he picked up on that.

“You’re not the boss of me,” the ninja growled as he glared at the kid in the lab coat. “Don’t tell me what to do. I do what I want. Ninjalinos!” Instantly his younger brothers lined up in front of him. “Get ready.” They nodded and pulled out sticky splat, aiming it at the nearest museum exhibit.

Before they could throw the sticky stuff, Romeo appeared in front of them. “Don’t! We have to wait for the superheroes!” he said in his whiny voice.

“Why?” Night Ninja demanded, walking up to the other boy.

“Because we don’t want the plan to fail before it even starts!” Romeo insisted.

The two of them continued to stare each other down, but Luna Girl was suddenly distracted. Did she just hear something? Or was she just imagining it because she was missing the PJ Masks? She listened and suddenly the noise grew louder. There was a flash of green outside and then Gekko jumped through the open window, landing in front of her.

“Luna Girl!” he gasped, staring at her with a pleading look. “What are you doing?”

She opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by Night Ninja who turned to Romeo and asked impatiently,” Can we start now?”

“Not until the other two show up,” the boy genius said.

“Start what?” Gekko blinked, turning to Luna Girl who glanced away, uncomfortable under his stare.

There was another noise. Luna Girl glanced outside to see the Cat-Car zooming up and Catboy hopping out of it. Something swooped down from above and Owlette flew in through the skylight. _She must have parked the Owl Glider on the roof,_ Luna Girl thought, watching nervously as Gekko’s two friends joined him by the door of the museum.

“Gekko, what’s going on?” Catboy asked. “Owlette used her Owl Eyes and saw that you were in trouble.” He looked at Night Ninja and Romeo.

Gekko finally snapped out of it and turned to his friends. “I’m not in trouble,” he said.

Before Catboy could respond, Owlette asked Romeo,” Who are you?”

“Me?” Romeo looked humble for a moment, even saying modestly,” I’m just the most ingenious scientist of this time—“ His tone suddenly turned boastful as he shouted,” And soon, I shall _rule the world!”_

“Rule the world?” Catboy echoed, blinking, and he shared a look with the other two.

“Why do you want to rule the world?” Gekko asked.

“Because, lizard legs, I am clearly superior to all these other less-smart people so I should be in charge,” he answered smugly.

Night Ninja shot him a look. “Can we get on with this?” he demanded.

“Ugh, fine,” Romeo groaned.

“Ninjalinos!” Night Ninja turned to his followers. “Now!”

The smaller ninjas nodded and aimed at the exhibits again. Gekko gasped. “They’re gonna splat everything in the museum!” he realized.

“PJ Masks, we need to stop them!” Catboy told his teammates, and they all jumped into action. Luna Girl watched, torn between right and wrong as Owlette flew above the Ninjalinos and called,” Super Owl Wind!” Red wind blew the sticky splat out of their hands and knocked them off their feet. Gekko disappeared and reappeared beside the ninjas, scaring them. In a flash, Catboy used his Super Cat Speed to run to get some rope. He tied them up and stood over them.

“We did it!” Gekko exclaimed, sounding like he couldn’t believe it.

“Good job, team!” Catboy said, high fiving Owlette and Gekko.

Luna Girl was thinking she was on the wrong side when Romeo suddenly started laughing. She looked at him, confused. What did he find so funny? Didn’t he realize that he was just defeated by the new superhero team?

Gekko looked confused too. “Um….” he stammered.

“What’s so funny?” Catboy demanded.

“You!” Romeo answered, still laughing. “You think you’ve beaten us? Well, you might have defeated this silly ninja,” he added, gesturing to Night Ninja, who glared at him. “But I’m not so easily beaten! Behold!”

He took out a remote and pressed a button on it. Suddenly three cages fell from above, trapping the PJ Masks. Romeo grinned. “Not so super now, huh?” he taunted.

“Let us out of this....” Catboy’s voice trailed off as he shared a look with his friends. “Um… what’s your name?”

“Yeah, you never told us your name,” Gekko said, blinking.

Luna Girl glanced at the boy genius to see a frustrated look on his face. _This is not going as I expected,_ she thought, wondering if she could sneak off and go back to her hideout. It’s not like she was doing anything. She was just standing around, watching the plan unfold before her. _Which side should I be on?_

Torn between right and wrong again, she watched as Romeo grabbed some weird looking device from behind one of the exhibits.

“What’s that?” Gekko asked.

“My Sticky Splat Super Shooter!” he answered, holding it up for all to see.

“A Sticky Splat Super Shooter?” the PJ Masks all said at once, looking startled.

Suddenly interested, Luna Girl wondered what he planned to do with that. _Can’t be anything good,_ she thought, not sure if she should be stopping this. As she watched, Night Ninja pulled out some Sticky Splat and shoved it in the Shooter. Then Romeo pulled the trigger and goop shot out, splatting on the wall, just missing a very old looking vase.

“Stop it!” Gekko exclaimed. “You’re gonna break something!”

“That’s the point, lizard legs,” Romeo said as he shot more Sticky Splat toward the exhibits. A display near the ceiling came loose and started falling. Night Ninja just barely moved out of the way.

“Hey, watch it!” he growled, and Romeo laughed and murmured a half-hearted apology, but continued to shoot all the exhibits. More stuff started to fall and suddenly the whole building seemed wobbly.

Romeo jumped back when part of the ceiling fell down. “Um…” he stammered, sharing a look with Night Ninja, who glanced nervously at his Ninjalinos. More of the ceiling started crumbling. Dodging a large piece of the roof, Romeo stumbled away, dropping his Shooter and the remote to the cages that were holding the PJ Masks. As soon as the remote hit the floor, the doors to the cages opened and the superhero team were freed.

“Everyone, out!” Catboy said, ushering the villains out of the museum, but Luna Girl was farther in the building and more of the roof was collapsing. She looked around nervously, spotting Night Ninja watching her.

“Help me!” she called to him, but he took one look at the ceiling that was caving in and did a backflip out through the window, his Ninjalinos following him. Romeo made a dash for the door. Only the PJ Masks remained with her. _So much for teaming up with Night Ninja,_ she thought gloomily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	13. Her Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PJ Masks or any of its characters.

“Luna Girl!” Gekko called to her from the other side of the room. More of the ceiling fell down; he turned to his teammates. “We have to save her!”

“Yes, of course,” Catboy said. “Owlette, fly to her and stay put until we can meet you there. Gekko, use your Super Lizard Grip to climb the walls. I’ll use my Super Cat Speed to meet you both there and together, we can get her out of here.”

His teammates nodded their agreement, but before they could move, an exhibit hanging above them started to fall. Thinking fast, Gekko yelled,” Super Gekko Muscles,” and caught the dinosaur skeleton before it crushed him and his friends.

“Thanks, Gekko!” Owlette gasped as he placed it gently on the ground.

He nodded. “Let’s save Luna Girl.”

Owlette swooped toward their friend, dodging falling pieces, while Gekko gripped to the wall and climbed over to them. In a flash, Catboy was beside them. Gekko looked nervously at the ceiling. “Now what?” he asked.

“We have to stop the museum from falling,” Catboy told them.

“But how?” Owlette asked, looking around unsurely. Then her eyes lit up and she flew to one of the exhibits, returning with a handful of sticky splat.

“What are you going to do with that?” Gekko asked.

“I think we should use this stuff to put the museum back together,” the owl girl answered, and, showing what she meant, she went to a part of the wall that was cracked. She smeared the sticky splat in it and picked up pieces off the floor, pushing them back in place.

Catboy looked hopeful. “Oh, I see!” He picked up some more of the sticky stuff and ran to an exhibit. He used his Super Cat Speed to fix it in mere seconds.

“Good idea, Owlette!” Using his muscles and Super Lizard Grip together, Gekko picked up a large piece of the ceiling and climbed the wall. Catboy threw him some sticky splat and he used it to place the ceiling back in position. Suddenly the whole building stopped shaking, and Gekko smiled. “It’s working!”

He glanced back at Luna Girl to see her calling her moths, who flew in, carrying her Luna Magnet and Board. She hopped on her board and for a moment Gekko thought she was about to leave. But then she used her magnet to pick up more of the ceiling. Gekko splatted the sticky stuff where it went and she moved it into place. They worked the rest of the time in silence, and when they were finished, they all met up in the center of the room.

“Good job, guys,” Catboy said, examining their work.

“Thanks for helping, Luna Girl,” Gekko said, suddenly shy.

“No problem.” She looked uncertain, and after a moment, she said,” I better go.”

“Wait, no, don’t go.” Gekko stared at her, shocked. Why did she want to leave? She helped clean up. Didn’t she see how good of a team they made together?

“Yeah, come back to HQ with us,” Catboy invited her.

For a moment Luna Girl looked like she was about to say yes, but then she shook her head. “I have things I need to think about and I’d rather think about them alone.” Without another word, she flew off on her Luna Board, with her moths close behind.

The PJ Masks watched her go. “Poor Luna,” Owlette said softly.

“Yeah, I wish we could help her,” Gekko agreed.

“Maybe we can!” Catboy said, eyes shining as if he had a plan.

But Owlette and Gekko exchanged uncertain glances, remembering his last plan to help Luna Girl. “I don’t know,” the lizard kid said hesitantly.

“Yeah, remember last time we tried to help her?” Owlette pointed out. “I think we just need to give her time. She’ll realize she’s good and come back.”

Catboy looked unconvinced. “But maybe we should talk to her. I’m sure she won’t be confused anymore if we tell her how awesome it is being a PJ Mask.”

“I don’t know,” Gekko repeated. “She went to the other side because we were pushy. Maybe she’s considering joining us again, but if we push her any more, she’ll never come back.”

“Gekko’s right,” Owlette said. “We should just leave her alone and she’ll come back when she wants to.”

“She’s our friend, remember?” Catboy told them. “And the PJ Masks don’t leave their friends behind. I’m going after her and I hope you’ll come too.”

Owlette and Gekko exchanged glances, then sighed, defeated. They didn’t want Catboy to go alone and he seemed determined to go, so they had to go with him.

“Okay,” Owlette agreed, nodding. “Let’s take the Owl Glider. Luckily, it didn’t fall through when the roof was collapsing.”

The others nodded and hurried to Owlette’s vehicle, heading off to find Luna Girl.

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Luna Girl wasn’t sure where to go. She couldn’t go to her hideout because Night Ninja might be there. She couldn’t go to the park because she didn’t want to see the PJ Masks. So she found herself sitting on the roof of a building in the city. Her moths flew around her, trying to comfort her, but she didn’t want to be comforted. She was so confused.

 _Can’t join Neil. Can’t be a PJ Mask._ “What am I then?” she asked out loud. Her moths whispered in her ear and she sighed miserably. “But who’s Luna?” she demanded.

Groaning, she looked out across the city. She used to believe this was her city, ever since she ran away from her parents and came across this place. She got her superpowers here and she met Neil here. _But he turned out to be my enemy, the person I try to stop one night and then hang out with the next. He was the same person the whole time._

The moon moved across the sky, and she was considering returning to her hideout to get some sleep when she heard something, startling her. She looked up to see the Owl Glider swooping down, landing on the roof of a building near the one she sat on. The doors opened and the PJ Masks jumped out. Anger rose in her and she called her Luna Board, ready to leave, but Gekko called her back.

“Please listen to us, Luna Girl,” he begged, joining her. “We just want to help you.”

“Yeah,” Owlette agreed, nodding. “Come back to HQ with us and we can discuss what to do about Night Ninja.”

Luna Girl glared at them. “I said I needed to think, alone,” she reminded them.

“But we just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Catboy said, taking a step toward her, but Luna Girl backed away, suddenly realizing something.

_He’s still being pushy! He doesn’t think I can handle myself! Well, he’s wrong! I’ll show him!_

Before they could stop her, she flew off on her Luna Board, not stopping until she got to the place Night Ninja took her to earlier. It seemed quiet, but as she approached, a figure emerged from the shadows.

“Oh, Luna Girl.” The nighttime ninja seemed surprised to see her. As she jumped off her board, he added,” Glad you made it out okay.”

She snorted and said,” No thanks to you.”

“Sorry about that,” he apologized.

“Yeah, right,” she muttered.

“No, really,” he insisted. “I’ve been worried about you. That’s why I’m out here. I’ve been keeping an eye out for you. I had a feeling you’d come back here. Realized we’re better than those silly superheroes?” As he spoke, Romeo stepped out of the darkness and smiled evilly.

Luna Girl eyed them suspiciously. _What am I doing here?_ she wondered. _They’re not my friends, because if they were, they would have helped me when the museum was coming down!_

But she couldn’t be friends with the PJ Masks, even though they did help her. They were pushy and treated her like she was unable to take care of herself. She’ll show them, she resolved. _And_ she’ll show Night Ninja and Romeo, too! _I’ll go on my own,_ she decided.

“What’s wrong, Luna?” The voice broke into her thoughts. Once, it had been friendly and full of warmth on those nights when they took a break from being their alter egos and played together. Now it was mocking and unpleasant. She looked into Night Ninja’s eyes, hoping her expression revealed all the disgust she felt toward him now.

Then she turned and hopped back on her board. Without another word and without looking back at her oldest friend, she flew off. She only had her moths left. They were still loyal to her, and they were all she needed.

 _I’m not a superhero anymore,_ she thought as she left. _And I can’t be a villain alongside Neil. I can finally do my own thing, without someone pushing me to be good or bad._

_Because THAT is who Luna is. Whatever I want to be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!
> 
> THE END!!


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